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Who Owns The Media in MO 4?

The piece below began as a look at the lack of coverage of recent events to unfold in the state and Missouri’s 4th Congressional District. My intention was to show the editorial willingness to lead us like so many lemmings over a cliff. It took all of five minutes of digging to turn that original piece into this. What I discovered was shocking, while it shouldn’t come as any great surprise.

This is a look at the daily newspapers that serve the 4th Congressional District of Missouri and more importantly, the ownership of these papers. When laid against Vicky Hartzler’s record against personal liberties and in favor of eliminating rules for corporations and taxes for the wealthy, it takes on a context all its own. There will be more on this in the coming days, but for now, take a look at what exactly, constitutes Missouri’s media ownership.

First, we will remove the Clinton Daily Democrat and the Lebanon Daily Record, as they are very much owned and operated in the community. As such, they are the exceptions to the rule and will be placed to the side.

This company, based in Little Rock, AR, has entered into a partnership with the LLC, Righthaven to sue bloggers for copyright infringements. WEHCO Media, Inc., led by Walter E. Huffman, emerged from a ‘newspaper war’ in which the conservative company purchased the competition. Huffman has also been noted for his position regarding content not being available for free online.

Kansas City Star: The McClatchy Company, ‘nuff said.

Lake Sun Leader and Waynesville Daily Guide: Gatehouse Media.

For a comprehensive look at Gatehouse Media and their recent history in MO 4 politics, click here.

Rust Communications is owned by the Rust family of Southeast Missouri. A longtime friend of Rush Limbaugh’s, former Republican Representative Gary Rust, positioned his company as a major player in rural Missouri media. That continues under the direction of the family today.

Listing Freedom Communications, Inc. as the owner of the paper is a bit misleading. Freedom Communications is actually owned by three large Wall Street hedge funds.

Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal: News-Press and Gazette Company

The News-Press and Gazette’s president, David Bradley, a Republican, is a member of the UMB Financial Corporation’s Board of Directors. He was also nominated by Governor Jay Nixon to the UM Board of System Curators who claimed that Bradley “will help set the course for the state’s flagship university system as it prepares Missouri students to compete and excel in the global economy.” The tuition increases that have followed his appointment would indicate his position with United Missouri Bank dictates that course.

What happened to the liberal media?

Hell, what ever happened to a dissenting opinion?

Those of you who are journalists, who call yourselves such, are aiding and abetting the enemies of the truth, of liberty and justice. You aren’t reporting, you are marketing for the lunatic fringe; the hardcore, hard-line, extremism of far right wing conservatism, merged with religion, married to business. You are the propaganda machine, perfected from the lessons of history, maximized by technology and used to create an uninformed, apathetic readership.

It has worked.

Look at the low turnout in this week’s elections.

Look at the coverage of the recent events that concern the MO 4th. Look at the ownership of our papers. Read the articles they print. Read the language they use.

Our news is brought to us by a conservative conglomeration of pro-corporate ideologues. They have a vested interest in keeping us uninformed. It makes for larger profit margins.

For more commentary and conversation, follow on Twitter @AmericanSpring.